Category Buyer in Chorley

Our client, a forward-thinking international manufacturing company, is looking to recruit a driven, ambitious and experienced Category Buyer responsible for the management and development of high volume and fast-moving product streams. You will work closely with suppliers and internal stakeholders to manage product availability, support sales growth, improve margins, and contribute to the achievement of business objectives.

Reporting to the Procurement Manager, duties to include:

• Raise and manage purchase orders, ensuring accuracy, compliance with company processes, and alignment with supplier order confirmations.
• Resolve issues promptly and proactively, escalating where required. Typical issues include pricing or quantity discrepancies, overdue POs, and quality concerns.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date information within relevant systems and tools, including product, supplier, pricing, and lead-time data; specifications and product documentation; KPI and performance records.
• Collaborate closely with Finance, Sales, Marketing, Operations, Customer Service, Warehouse and Compliance to provide pricing, supply, and delivery information; resolve availability or quality issues; support and lead the introduction of new products and ranges.
• Ensure full compliance with company procedures, procurement policies, and quality standards.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties required by the Procurement team.

Category Buying:

• Develop and implement category strategies that deliver best value, balancing product quality, service performance, and cost.
• Deliver procurement savings, cost avoidance, and revenue growth through effective category data gathering, analysis, and insight.
• Lead and support the creation and implementation of supplier agreements with key suppliers, ensuring optimal product quality and strong sales margins.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders to identify opportunities for new products, new customers, and category expansion to maximise growth and profitability.
• Lead the evaluation of spend analysis and supplier performance reporting across assigned categories.
• Drive procurement projects and category development initiatives.

Supplier Management:

• Build and strengthen relationships with new and existing suppliers to drive value, innovation, and growth through regular reviews and performance meetings.
• Proactively monitor and review key suppliers, assess compliance data, identify supply risks, and implement mitigation strategies through robust supplier development.
• Lead the sourcing, evaluation, and onboarding of new suppliers to support category growth and business needs.

As an ideal candidate, you will be a high-calibre individual with solid experience in Supply Chain and Purchasing, have a minimum of three GCSEs, including Mathematics and English, and will ideally be qualified or working towards CIPS certification. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Sage 200cv would be an advantage, and experience within food safety, quality, supply chain, or manufacturing is also desirable. Strong written and verbal communication skills are required.

The company offers a supportive and collaborative working environment with opportunities for professional development and career progression. Employees benefit from a competitive salary and access to training programmes designed to strengthen skills and support long-term growth. The company also promotes a positive workplace culture, values innovation, and encourages individuals to contribute ideas that drive continuous improvement.